subject: Understanding The Limitations Of The Voice Over Ip Systems [print this page] The Voice over IP technology is used by people at different places, on different platforms and in different situations. The VOIP systems are used in the homes, commercial establishments, industries, office set-ups and even by people on the move. The different platforms on which this can be used are the computer systems by making use of the software of the VoIP service provider, the VOIP telephone instruments and even the mobile phone handsets. However, for any of these platforms to be used for this purpose it is important to have internet connectivity, wired or wireless.
There are many benefits of these systems, as are commonly known. These benefits are better call management features including the hold, auto-attendant, routing, forwarding, conferencing and many others. Then, the office phone also has the features which can enable the transfer of files of different formats like text, video and audio over the internet broadband connections. However, there are certain shortcomings of these telephone business systems as well, which shall be well considered before going to buy these.
These voice over IP based home telephone systems or the PBX systems of the offices do need a very quality network connection for operating at their best. The data files and the internet protocol voice data both use the same medium to travel along with the network data. This is made possible because the data is broken down into the smaller packets and it is these packets which actually travel on the bandwidth. If the bandwidth is not broad enough then the connection will either slow down or the communication will cease. There will be issues with the quality of the sound as well. Actually, it is the transfer of the sound files which is not smooth in a less bandwidth connection. If the network does not send the voice data on priority basis, you can have the quality of service routers installed at the locations using the office phone VOIP. The main use of these routers is to give priority to the voice data when there is network congestion so that the quality of sound does not suffer.
Another point to be duly considered is that of regular upgrades required for the voice over IP systems. Unlike the traditional systems which can be installed and then forgotten, these require upgrades as soon as these are available. For the functioning of these systems, internet is of vital importance. But, there can be glitches with the operation of these networks or there can also be a crash of the servers. In that scenario, there is loss of time and communication connectivity. Even if the staff is adept at quickly reacting to the situation and correcting the problems of the IP PBX systems or any other office phone, the organization do deploy contingency alternative telephone systems, especially for some vital locations. So, having a robust infrastructure for these needs is an important requirement for these systems and these shall be planned very skilfully for the successful and effective functioning of these systems.
